Food and Recipes Desserts 20 Delicious Reasons to Make Bread Pudding By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hector Sanchez Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Southern cooks have always been resourceful with their leftovers (when there are leftovers around, that is). There's always a jar of bacon grease in Mama's fridge, and there are countless ways to get creative with that Thanksgiving turkey the day after. You could easily make homemade croutons with that day-old bread you don't want to go bad, but Southern chefs' favorite way to repurpose it is into a bread pudding. With bread pudding recipes, there are endless possibilities. You can go the sweet route or opt for savory; you can use a country loaf or Challah. Bread pudding welcomes creativity. Of course, all bread puddings start with some sort of bread, whether slightly stale French baguette or even Krispy Kreme doughnuts (we really did that), and are usually filled with some sort of custard and topped with a sweet sauce. Because we never stop coming up with fun twists on Southern classics, we have plenty of amazing takes on old-school bread pudding. If you love fall baking, try our Spiced Caramel-Apple Bread Pudding to fill your house with the delectable smells of autumn. If you want to try out a breakfast bread pudding recipe, the kids will love our Cinnamon-Pecan Breakfast Bread Pudding and your girls' brunch group will be begging for our Spinach-and-Broccoli Breakfast Bread Pudding recipe. Say goodbye to drab breakfasts for good, and never let another good loaf of bread go stale! These are the best bread pudding recipes to keep on hand, whether you want to enjoy them at dessert, breakfast, or with a savory twist. 01 of 20 Hot Buttered Rum Bread Pudding Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Hot Buttered Rum Bread Pudding Raisins and rum are an age-old combination that can turn a day-old loaf of bread into a stunning, weekend-worthy casserole. Don't skimp on the warming spices—even the black pepper! 02 of 20 Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Photo: Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Peach Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Bread pudding may typically be a winter dessert, but we argue that it should be enjoyed year-round. We put a summery spin on comforting bread pudding and filled it with fresh peaches. Top with boozy caramel sauce and a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream and the summertime potential proof is in the pudding. 03 of 20 Spinach-and-Broccoli Breakfast Bread Pudding Southern Living Recipe: Spinach-and-Broccoli Breakfast Bread Pudding We love this savory bread pudding because it tastes amazing, and the fact that it can be made with the ease of your slow cooker makes it even more of a winner. Dijon mustard is the subtle, surprise MVP of this cheesy veggie pudding. 04 of 20 Caramel-Pecan-Pumpkin Bread Puddings Jim Franco Recipe: Caramel-Pecan-Pumpkin Bread Puddings Whether you make it in individual ramekins or your favorite 13x9 dish, this fall bread pudding recipe was made for a crowd. The fall flavor trio of caramel, pecan, and pumpkin will wow everyone at the Thanksgiving table. 05 of 20 Challah Bread Pudding Micah A. Leal Recipe: Challah Bread Pudding Challah's buttery flavor makes the ideal base for an incredible bread pudding recipe. This spongy bread soaks up the sugary custard so that the rich vanilla flavor and hint of citrus are infused throughout. 06 of 20 Cinnamon-Pecan Breakfast Bread Pudding Southern Living Recipe: Cinnamon-Pecan Breakfast Bread Pudding This decadent make-ahead brunch recipe is the perfect dish for the kids to wake up to on Christmas morning. Prepare this dish the day before, then wake up to a toasty warm aroma calling from the kitchen. 07 of 20 Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Bourbon Butter Sauce Southern Living Recipe: Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Butter Bourbon Sauce All we can say about this recipe is "wow." We don't know any Southerners who don't love Krispy Kreme, and this recipe is going to make you appreciate it even more. We dare say that this leftover recipe is worth leaving a new box of glazed donuts untouched. 08 of 20 Spiced Caramel-Apple Bread Pudding Jennifer Davick Recipe: Spiced Caramel-Apple Bread Pudding If you love fall baking, this incredible bread pudding recipe should be on your list to try this season. Spiced Granny Smith apple pieces and pudding flavored with cider are the remedy for that nip in the air. 09 of 20 Savory Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Savory Sweet Potato Bread Pudding We know that Southerners love their sweet potato casseroles topped with marshmallows and cornflakes, but we're making the case for serving this savory bread pudding at Thanksgiving this year. Smoky bacon, spinach, and French bread are scrumptious with sweet potatoes. 10 of 20 Apple Bread Pudding Helen Norman Recipe: Apple Bread Pudding This bread pudding recipe is one of the most delicious ways to use up those fresh apples from your fall orchard visit. Cinnamon-raisin bread is the secret to this pudding recipe ideal for autumn, but the real crème de la crème is the Apple Brandy Crème Anglaise drizzled overtop. 11 of 20 Creole Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce Jennifer Davick Recipe: Creole Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce New Orleans chef Leah Chase put a Creole twist on bread pudding and topped it with a boozy sauce your holiday guests will love. Bourbon Sauce brings out the best flavors of Bourbon Street with a whopping 5 tablespoons of vanilla extract (trust us!). 12 of 20 Cornbread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel Photo: Brian Woodcock Recipe: Cornbread Pudding with Whiskey Caramel We took Southern-favorite cornbread and made it the base for this boozy bread pudding. Serve this sweet and savory dessert family style or in individual ramekins and don't forget the irresistible whiskey caramel. 13 of 20 Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce Alison Miksch Recipe: Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread Pudding with Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce This autumn dessert recipe, which uses our Pumpkin-Honey-Beer Bread as a base, is going to make your house smell incredible. If you haven't guessed yet, we love a good liquor-caramel sauce, and this one with brandy doesn't disappoint. 14 of 20 Praline Bread Pudding Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Praline Bread Pudding Two Southern favorites, pralines and bread pudding, meet in this recipe that's to-die-for delicious. Whip up some praline sauce and drizzle it on top alongside a hefty dollop of whipped cream, measuring with your heart. 15 of 20 Butternut Squash Bread Pudding Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Butternut Squash Bread Pudding Just as delicious for weekend brunch as a holiday meal, this savory pudding is cheesy and positively oozes feel-good fall flavors. Taste for yourself and decide which layer of buttery Challah bread you like best: spongy and moist with butternut squash custard in the middle, or toasted on top. 16 of 20 King Cake Bread Pudding with Chicory Ice Cream Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: King Cake Bread Pudding with Chicory Ice Cream Looking for a new way to up-cycle this Mardi Gras classic? This festive bread pudding starts with a pre-made King Cake, bringing all of the flavors and colors of New Orleans into one spoonable dessert, best served with ice cream made from chicory root. 17 of 20 Princess Diana's Favorite Bread Pudding Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner Recipe: Princess Diana's Favorite Bread Pudding This bread pudding is truly fit for royalty, but you don't have to be in Buckingham Palace to enjoy it. Princess Diana swore by this recipe from former Royal Chef Darren McGrady and we do too. 18 of 20 Pineapple Bread Pudding Victor Protasio Recipe: Pineapple Bread Pudding Pineapple on pizza may be up for debate, but pineapple on bread pudding is an uncontested winner. Day-old Hawaiian rolls mix with pineapple juice for a tropical and unexpected twist on bread pudding. 19 of 20 Blueberry Bread Pudding Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Loren Wood; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Blueberry Bread Pudding Give your go-to blueberry cobbler recipe a break and whip up this bread pudding rendition. Fresh blueberries are baked with leftover French bread and also stirred up into a tasty sauce to drizzle on top. 20 of 20 Pecan Pie Bread Pudding Recipe: Pecan Pie Bread Pudding Made with day-old French bread and topped with praline sauce, this treat will prove that pecan pie and bread pudding are the duo that you never knew you needed. This hybrid dessert will become a new favorite when served warm with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit